News Analysis: New head of Higher Council of State expected to push forward delayed Libyan political deal

TRIPOLI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Libya has high expectation for the new head of the Higher Council of State to push forward the delayed implementation of the UN-sponsored agreement, as hopes for ending the political division are fading with the UN-proposed action plan drawing to a close.

Khaled al-Meshri, a leader of the Justice and Building Party of the Muslim Brotherhood, was elected on Sunday as the new head of Council, replacing Abdarrahman Swehli. Naji Mukhtar and Fawzi al-Akab were elected as deputies.

The United Nations is seeking to hold parliamentary and presidential elections before the end of 2018 in a country plagued by insecurity and chaos since the overthrow of former leader Gaddafi's regime in 2011.

Moussa Faraj, the head of the Council's dialogue committee, believed that election of a new head of the Council could end the political rift between the Libyan parties.

"With the closeness between the Parliament members (of the east) and members of the Higher Council who are keen to end the political agreement stalemate, we expect positive results in the next stage at the level of resolving the dispute between the Parliament and the Council," Faraj told Xinhua.

"Al-Meshri is a moderate and flexible individual who is respected and accepted by everyone. Therefore, we hope that there will be new ideas that translate the desire and voices of the Council members and their true expression of the spirit of compromise and political partnership with the other parties of the agreement," Faraj added.

Khalid al-Meshri received 64 votes, while 45 votes went to Abdarrahma Swehli, with 6 abstentions, during the voting session on Sunday that gathered 115 Council members.

The Higher Council of State is the highest consultative body in Libya, appointed based on the UN-sponsored political agreement signed by the Libyan parties in 2015 to end the country's political division.

However, the country is still suffering a political crisis as the political agreement has not been implemented yet due to objections by the Libyan factions to certain articles related to the executive authority.

Abdullah al-Rais, a Libyan political analyst, does not expect much change of the position of the Council, as Swehli and Al-Meshri are affiliated with the political Islamist stream.

"The views (of both men) are not necessarily much different. They may even increase the division and the clinging of each party to their views," he told Xinhua.

"Nevertheless, I think that political Islam is trying to show the new (head of the Council) as a person with good ideas that are open to the Parliament, in order to pass the amendments of the political agreement that took too long," Al-Rais added.

He stressed that the Council is not the only side to blame for the current situation, as the eastern-based Parliament is also responsible for delaying approval of the amendments regardless of the continuing security and economic challenges.

The Parliament approved a "compromise formula" proposed by the UN Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame last year on amendments of the political agreement. However, the Council rejected the formula and denied consent during the joint negotiations with Parliament.

The main Articles of dispute in the agreement are related to the executive authority of the country and the functions of the supreme commander of the army.

Following a meeting with the Parliament Speaker, Agila Saleh, later in March, Salame revealed intention to make a final attempt to amend the political agreement, and called on the Parliament and the Council for a crucial meeting in this regard.

"The accusation against the Justice and Building Party of obstructing the political agreement is inaccurate and needs to be reconsidered," said Council member Ali Sweih.

"Despite the differences between the politicians, we should not forget the strong participation of the Justice and Building Party in the negotiations that preceded the signing of the agreement later in 2015. The agreement was even signed later by the most prominent leaders of the party, mainly Saleh Al-Makhzoum on behalf of the outgoing General National Congress, an evidence of their will to strongly participate in the agreement," Sweih told Xinhua.

"Even if the new head of the Council tries to take over the power of the decision within the Council, the members will stand in his face, especially as he pledged before the election that he would work within constant consultation with his colleagues, a way we strongly want in order to change the previous reality," Sweih explained.

Khalid al-Meshri, 51 years old, who is from the western city of Zawiya, was a member of the outgoing General National Congress.

He was the chairman of the conference's finance committee and a member of the national security committee.

Al-Meshri is a leading figure in the Justice and Building Party of the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya.

In his first televised statement after his election, al-Meshri called on the United Nations to exercise its primary function of "helping the Libyans reach a political solution."

He stressed willingness to reach out to all parties to resolve the current political obstruction, confirming the start of communication and quick and intensive visits to all Libyan cities and parties. Enditem